❝𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀❞ ━ TREECH

32. murder and mercy

She knows it's a silly thought. She's in the auditorium, not in the arena. But if things go wrong and something happens to Treech, she wants to be there to see it. It would cause her unbearable pain but missing his final moments, having to live on with the knowledge that he was unknowingly all alone, it would break her heart.

And so, even though she knows she wants to go after her best friend, she takes a deep breath and straightens up in her seat. Once things quieten down in the arena, presumably around nightfall when she knows Treech and the alliance are asleep or in a safe area, she will give him a call. But for now, she needs to be there for Treech.

She blinks when a handkerchief is slid over to her and she looks at Pup in confusion. Apparently spending so much time with Lamina gave him an endless supply of them. Is her distress that noticeable? But she's still touched by the gesture and mouths an appreciative "Thank you" when he only gives her a firm nod.

In a sense, it's sweet. Pup is close with her brother after all, it's relieving to know he's looking out for her for him. At least she'd like to think that was what it was.

June can't help but wonder what Treech must be thinking right now. The thought of how scared he is even though he's clearly trying not to show it, it must be incredibly distressing. She can only clutch the handkerchief in her hand, hoping nothing bad will happen to him. Usually, the Games start with a small bloodbath but with the amount of remaining tributes, she doesn't know how it will be this year.

Her eyes are firmly locked on Treech when the bell rings. She doesn't even pay the other tributes much mind - even though she does wonder why Tanner immediately makes a run for poor Lamina and pushes her - and decides that, for the time being, she'll only be looking at Treech.

He immediately runs forward to get to the pile of weapons, only to be shoved aside by Panlo. June is confused. She thought he broke his arm and hurt his leg but when she sees the way he clutches his arm when Treech begins to chase after him, she figures they must've removed his bandages. There's a slight limp in his step, too, which makes it impossible for him to get to the weapons immediately.

It's chaotic but it seems he knows what he's doing. Once he has the ax in his hands, she immediately feels a lot better. He doesn't have much time to be testing its weight though and backs away a little bit. Her best guess is he's looking for the rest of the alliance. Coral is already armed with a pitchfork, fending off anyone who tries to get closer to her or Mizzen. Tanner is there, too, and June almost jumps in her seat when Panlo gets his hands on the sword only to immediately go after Treech.

Tanner, thankfully, manages to divert his attention and Treech manages to slip away and over the pile of rubble. He tosses Mizzen a knife which the smaller boy manages to catch. A brief pause follows on Treech's end and he looks around, Coral already going after Lucy Gray.

June can't say she understands why. Sure, the girl in the rainbow dress is everyone's biggest competitor when it comes to sponsors but she's not even armed nor would she be much of a threat if she was. It feels personal but she knows that can't be it. Perhaps Coral is also just trying to make sure as little people as possible will be a threat to her and the alliance, which means even erasing the smallest threats.

Still, Lucy Gray is extremely skilled at dodging. Especially considering the fact that she's wearing heels. June doesn't think she'd be able to do the same.

Some of the other tributes, namely Wovey, Lamina and the pair from three, run for the tunnels on the left. All of them are unarmed so she doubts they're going to fight each other. Reaper managed to get ahold of a weapon and is standing in front of Dill protectively, fending off the boy from Six with ease.